


With and Without- A Percabeth Story

by softpinkeverything



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Heartbreak, Love, Romance, Separations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:00:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22108243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softpinkeverything/pseuds/softpinkeverything
Summary: They hadn't expected to make it this far. Surely one of them would've died, or the world would've ended, or Percy would've done something stupid. But before they knew it, Annabeth and Percy were graduating from college, but their ideas for the future didn't align. They were starting to think that maybe love wasn't enough. Was their separation inevitable?Set after the HoO series, and pretending that Heroes of Apollo doesn't exist.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Calypso & Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque & Frank Zhang, Jason Grace & Piper McLean
Kudos: 7





	1. With- Annabeth

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friend! Thanks for taking a chance on my story and checking it out! Any feedback is much appreciated, along with support and any ideas. The more I hear from y'all, the more likely I am to actually get some writing done!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

The first thing I felt was warmth. I peeked open my eyes and saw a sliver of sunlight breaking through the curtains, illuminating my stomach and Percy’s hand that gently rested on it. I smiled, nuzzling my body deeper into him. I felt his muscles curve around mine, and the calming pressure of his embrace. His gentle snores indicated that he was in a deep sleep and likely wouldn’t rise for another hour or so. I was okay with that; I had a decision to make, but when we were together I couldn’t seem to do anything besides eat, sleep, and have sex. At least now I would be unbothered by his loving distractions.

I gently slid out of his arms and pulled on a pair of gray shorts lying on the floor. I sat down in a sleek black leather armchair, specifically choosing it because of my perfect view of Percy asleep in full nudity, his muscles slowly rising and falling at the pace of his breath. After years of sleeping with my siblings in the Athena cabin, I never thought that I’d be able to sleep without wearing pajamas. But with Percy, I couldn’t rest until I felt his bare skin pressed against mine. Trust me, it wasn’t easy for us to get permission to share a bed, much less our own apartment. New Rome firmly believes in preserving virginity until marriage, even though without their parent’s affairs, demigods wouldn’t be alive. However, after months of Percy and I sneaking out to be with each other, they finally realized that there was no keeping us apart and caved in.

But today our trials with New Rome authority would become a thing of the past. In a few hours, we would walk across the stage and receive our diplomas.

After four years at New Rome University, known to mortals as “Stanford,” I was about receive my degree with a double major in Architecture and International Affairs with minors in Latin and Computer Science. I had debated adding on another major in Arabic (a fun language I had been practicing in my free time), but Percy had charmed me out of it, promising that extra time with him was better than another degree. To be fair, I had done the same thing to Percy. His passion for oceanography overtook him and every time I saw his eyes devour a new article about marine life or talk to one of his professors about the plastic pollution in the Pacific I fell more in love with him. Though he could study oceanography forever, I made him wrap up his degree in four years so that we could graduate together and start new lives.

Percy and I had discussed where our futures would take us. I knew that I wanted to be with him, but that was about it. On the other hand, Percy had already decided to work for the United States National Park System. He would be stationed in the American Samoa, a tiny island jutting out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nothing to see besides crashing waves for miles and miles. He would spend his days analyzing the effects of plastic pollution on marine populations, searching for innovative ways to remove plastic from animal’s systems while reducing pollution in general. The best part would be complete lack of supervision. He would be able to disappear for days under the water, interacting with ocean life and stopping by his Dad’s palace to assist in renovations, no questions asked. I couldn’t have imagined a better job for him if I had tried.

Though I still had to finish up some final touches to my redesign of Olympus, my work was essentially complete. Unfortunately, I couldn’t seem to decide what I wanted to do after that. Once Percy had accepted his job in the American Samoa, the National Park Service had also offered me a job as general manager of all tourist activity on the island. For months that had seemed like it would be enough. Sure, it didn’t really align with my interests or even what I had studied, but at least I would be with Percy. I had assured him that I was committed to go with him. But for some reason, I could never make myself sign the paperwork committing myself to the job.

In my heart I knew what I wanted. For months, a recruiter from the office of the President of the United States had been enticing me to come to Washington and work as an architect. I had held the recruiter off for months. Percy was so thrilled about our life together in the Pacific that I couldn’t imagine telling him that I had other options. I didn’t have the strength to break his heart like that. I wouldn’t even allow myself to think of Washington.

That was until last week when the President’s recruiter had sweetened his job offer. Rather than just work in the office of the President doing miscellaneous simplistic tasks, he would set up a new branch under the President’s cabinet to oversee a complete renovation of Washington D.C.’s architecture. I would have the resources to travel all around the world, studying different architectural designs, and ultimately design a new American capital. Suddenly, the American Samoa sounded less like paradise.

Looking at Percy lying in bed, I felt my heart crack. His tousled dark hair, his dreamy and firm physique, and even the little bit of drool escaping from his mouth felt like home to me. He looked so relax, so at peace. My whole life, I had been searching for something permanent that I could call my own. And finally I had found that in Percy. He was like an extension of my own body and essence. Everything I had, from my thoughts to the blood pumping through my body was his. Nowhere felt like home more than his presence.

But what would it be like to give up on my dream to follow him? I had nothing in the American Samoa beyond him. In Washington I sensed a future, a passion. My Mom had always warned me about Percy, claiming that his influence would harm me. I couldn’t help but feel like she knew that I would be faced with this decision. Maybe she was wrong, and following Percy would bring happiness and fulfillment. But I had the sinking feeling that she was right, and Percy would only steer me away from where I was supposed to be. To make things worse, I had to tell the recruiter my decision tomorrow morning.

Suddenly the armchair I was sitting in didn’t feel like a perfect vantage point to watch Percy sleep, but rather an indication of our future separation. Percy, lying in the warm bed, would be like the American Samoa. Every day there would be filled with beauty and love at the cost of my own dreams and goals. On the other hand, the armchair was like my life in Washington; it stood for individuality and a gleaming future, but was cold, hard and distant from the thing I loved the most.

Now, rather than warmth, I felt a chill overtake my body. I reached up to my face to feel the tears pouring down my cheeks. I hastily wiped them away. Today was supposed to be a day of pure joy. Percy was graduating! I was graduating! We had survived adolescence, and we had done it together. Now, we were about to build our own future.

But the tears kept on coming.

Perhaps because of the noise I was making, but more likely because of his adorable need to protect me, Percy’s body tensed and he began to stir. His arms stretched out to my side of the bed, and he mumbled “Annabeth?”

In a split second, I found myself back in bed, curling my body into his. I felt his body relax with my touch, and I looked up to see a soft smile on his lips. I had thought that this would be the morning where I would make my decision, but instantly I knew that I would delay making any decisions until the last second possible.

“Everything alright, babe?” he asked, feeling the wetness of my tears against his neck.

“Nothing. Just needed to be held.” I murmured.

“I love you, Annabeth,” Percy replied sleepily. I felt his arms close tighter around me and his breath return to a steady pace as he fell back asleep.

I barely held back a sob as I responded that I loved him too. I wanted to be strong for him and make this a day of joy. In my head, promised myself that this would be the last time that I thought about my decision; the rest of the day was just about him and I.


	2. With- Percy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand now time to hear what Percy's thinking...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad I kept your interest!

I woke up with a smile. Curled up against my chest was Annabeth, the joy of my life. Her beautiful golden ringlets reflected the morning’s sun, and she smelled like maple syrup and trees. It wasn’t normal for me to be awake before her, but considering that today was a day of celebration, I decided to let her sleep for a bit longer. After four years of her pushing herself in school while staying in great shape, making time for her friends, serving on various committees in New Rome, and of course dealing with me, she deserved some peace. I gently released her from my arms and quietly walked into our kitchen.

I made myself a cup of coffee and sat by the window, watching the people of New Rome wake up. Given that Annabeth and I technically weren’t supposed to be living together, we had been placed in an apartment atop a large hill, separated from the rest of the community. Perhaps someone had thought that the nearly vertical walk home and separation from others would make us want to live apart. Obviously, they didn’t know us very well.

In fact, I loved where we lived. From our vantage point, I could see life spread out below us. On the Promenade, workers bustled around to set up for graduation. In the hills a girl, possibly Reyna, rode a Pegasus, leaping and diving through the sky. By the river, a mother tossed her young son into the flowing blue water, encouraging him to swim back to her.

 _Calm the water,_ I instructed the river. _Help him reach his mother._

 _Alright, boss,_ the river grumbled. _Just make sure to pop in for a swim before you leave._

 _Of course,_ I promised, smiling to myself. Unlike Camp Half Blood, New Rome had never felt like a real home, but I truly would miss it. Here, Annabeth and I had spent four fabulous years learning, exploring, and relaxing all without the constant threat of monsters. Sure, we’d created some adventures for ourselves by volunteering for various quests, but in all honesty my life had never been so peaceful.

My smile widened when I thought of what was next. Since I was twelve, the future had been a concept that I had never allowed myself to dwell too much on. Life was lived day by day, in a constant battle against prophecies, ADHD, and overprotective parents. Thinking about the future was for normal people, and my life certainly would never be normal. But when the National Park Service had reached out to me with a perfect job offer, including a position for Annabeth, I felt for the first time that maybe there was a greater plan for my life.

Not even Annabeth knew all the plans I had for her. Since our parents were mortals they weren’t allowed to attend graduation, so we were flying to New York to meet them for dinner. We would laugh, drink champagne, and reminisce on old times. And after that, I had a surprise waiting for her.

Lost in thought, it took me a second to recognize Annabeth’s voice.

“Percy, babe?” she called out, a mild panic hidden in her voice. “Where are you?”

Five years ago, Hera had kidnapped me from Camp Half Blood with no explanation and dropped me in Camp Jupiter with no memories besides Annabeth. Both of us had spent months missing each other and searching for each other. Ever since then, Annabeth and I had a thing about being apart from each other. Sometimes simply waking up to an empty bed was enough to cause worry.

“Hey, I just was in the kitchen,” I assured Annabeth as I walked back into our bedroom. I hadn’t touched my coffee yet, and I handed it to her. Gratefully, she took a sip and her body relaxed.

“I’m supposed to be the one that wakes up first,” she admitted. “You know how I hate it when you aren’t next to me in the morning.”

I noticed her red eyes and puffed cheeks. She must have seen my puzzled expression, because she quickly wiped her face clear and smiled at me.

“Sorry I look so ugly, I just had some weird dreams,” she said.

In my head, I laughed to myself. Annabeth? Ugly? At this point, I had known her for nearly half of my life, and not once since I met her had I though of Annabeth as anything other than the most stunning girl on Earth.

But beyond that, by the way her lips tightened, and her stormy grey eyes flickered towards the ceiling, the wall, any place that wasn’t near me, I could tell that she wasn’t telling me the truth. If I were to guess I’d have said that she was crying.

“Annabeth, you’re more things than I can count, but you’ve never been and never will be ugly,” I assured her.

She forced a smile onto her face and placed her coffee cup down on her bedside table. She reached her arms out to me.

“You treat me too well, Percy. Now, come here, and let me treat you,” she smirked.

I grinned and obliged, gently climbing on top of her in bed. During the stress of finals, we had enacted a firm no-sex rule, deciding that graduating with high marks was more important than our own personal desires. Annabeth and I were experts at many things, but restraining from each other wasn’t one of them. Mere days of abstinence had built up a level of explosive lust between us. Once finals had ended we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other.

I lowered my body on top of her, cupping her soft cheeks in my hands and placing a gentle but explorative kiss on her lips. She pressed her lips back against mine, and I might’ve been imagining it, but something was off. As always, her lips were soft and plump, and her body seemed to pulse into mine, but she seemed nervous, an emotion Annabeth rarely felt.

“Today’s a big day for both of us, Percy,” she mumbles against my lips. I let that be explanation for her nervousness. Annabeth had never been good with change, so surely the symbolism of graduation was leaving her stressed.

And honestly, I felt nervous too. Once upon a time I didn’t think I would graduate from high school. In a few hours I would be graduating from college with honors and had the perfect girlfriend beside me. Some part of me felt like it was all too perfect, and that something was bound to go awry.

“I don’t know how I would’ve graduated without you,” I tell her, pushing any negative thoughts aside. In my hands I held Annabeth, the best gift I’d ever been given. I had cheated my way into a life, a future, with her. I had no reason to be nervous.

“Honestly, Annabeth, I don’t think I could have survived without you.”

For some reason, when the words leave my mouth her body retracts into the mattress. I see her eyes moisten and know that I said something wrong. But just as quickly as she retracted from me, a smile returns to her face and she pulls herself together. I know Annabeth well enough to know that something’s bothering her. I also can tell that she doesn’t want to talk about it, so I don’t press her.

“Percy, I couldn’t have survived without you either,” Annabeth whispers. “Can we please spend this morning together? I don’t want a minute apart from you.”

She curves her body into me and though there’s more we need to talk about, her mouth silences any of my other thoughts.

Who was I to resist? I gave into Annabeth’s kisses and brought our bodies together as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is MUCH appreciated, drop some below please!


	3. With- Annabeth

I strung my fingers through Percy’s dark hair, gently massaging his scalp as he wrapped his calloused hands around my waist. We both were panting, slowly coming down from our highs. That morning we had been in no rush to finish, allowing our fingertips to massage every parts of the other’s curves. We had moved together as slowly as the tide comes onto the beach, but by the time we reached the end, our climaxes were as monumental as a tsunami. Even though I’d never been with anyone else, I had no doubt that Percy and I could pleasure each other better than anyone else in the world.

“We should start getting ready soon,” he panted. “Our friends will be here soon.”

I kissed him on the nose and remorsefully pulled my body away from him, knowing that we needed to start getting ready.

“You’re right babe,” I told him, standing up from bed. “What do you want for breakfast?”

For the next hour we bustled about the house, eating our cereal, brushing our teeth, getting changed, and sneaking kisses along the way. Right at noon, Piper and Jason knocked on our door, on time as usual.

“Gods, friends, ever think about not living on the side of the mountain?” Jason asked, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. His arm was casually draped across Piper, who apparently had no issue with the rivers of swear streaming down Jason.

Percy laughed. “That’s the plan, man! No hills in the American Samoa!”

Piper snuck a quick glance at me, surely noticing my pained expression. She was the only person who I had told about Washington. She thought that I should take the job offer; I still wasn’t sure.

A minute later, a giant eagle with Hazel flying on its back landed on our porch. A second later, the eagle transformed into grinning Frank, who grabbed Hazel’s hand and walked into our home.

“Why didn’t you fly me up here, Jason?” Piper quipped, jokingly prodding Jason in the stomach.

“Hey, Pipes, we can make it up here just fine without flying. Also, I didn’t think about doing that,” he admitted, and the whole room laughed.

Finally, Leo lumbered in, Calypso gracefully gliding in beside him. At first, having Calypso around was uncomfortable for Percy. I could tell that her presence reminded him of their time together and how he had broken her heart. However, watching Leo and Calypso’s love had definitively proven to Percy that his decision had been for the best. Calypso had transformed from Percy’s kinda ex-lover to another member of the gang.

“So who’s ready to graduate!” Leo bellowed, raising his fists up in excitement.

Everyone cheered, and I felt equal parts sadness and joy. Everyone had such bright futures ahead of them. Jason and Piper would stay in New Rome, where Jason would serve as praetor and Piper would work as an elementary school teacher. In a few years, she hoped to serve as an administrator, and eventually principal. Frank and Hazel were headed back to Toronto. Frank was going to be a veterinarian in the Toronto zoo and Hazel was going to open a jewelry shop with a special focus on unique gemstones. And Leo and Calypso? They really had no plans. When I had asked Leo what he was going to do after graduation, he had responded “tinker with toys and tinker with Calypso.” I figured that was as clear of an answer as I was going to get from Leo, but I knew that he and Calypso would make something marvelous of their lives together.

I set up a timer on my camera, and everyone gathered in front of the camera to smile. Our darkest, yet most bonding memories were only held in the confines of our memory. But graduation? Today would be nothing but happiness, I had promised myself. I wanted a photo to commemorate it forever.

After a few more photos, everyone trekked back down to the colonnade for the ceremony to begin. As Valedictorian, I normally would have given a speech, but given that I was both Greek and a daughter of Athena, they had asked Octavian to give the commencement speech. I honestly didn’t care. There were other things on my mind that were more important than a speech.

During the ceremony, I couldn’t focus on anything where Percy was, what he might’ve been doing, and how I could possibly survive another minute without him beside me. Since Jackson and Chase aren’t near each other in the alphabet, wherever he was sitting was far away from me, but I didn’t know exactly where. Anxiety built in my chest and my eyes darted around me, desperately searching for him. I felt like a child, completely unable to function without him in my sight. I had never depended on anyone, much less dependent on a boyfriend. Perhaps the possibility of our separation was what weighed on me the most. My body was so tense with need for him that I nearly stood up and interrupted the ceremony just to find him in the crowd.

Before I knew it, my name was called and I felt my heavy feet carry me across the stage. Cheers echoed in the crowd of graduates spread out below, but I was so in my head that all I could hear was my heart beating. Once upon a time, I had believed that demigods were going to be extinct and Titans would control the universe. Now, my worries had nothing to do with immortal beings or global destruction. All I cared about was how in the world I would be able to live thousands of miles away from him when I couldn’t even go ten minutes away from him without feeling this awful.

Somehow I shook the hands of the Dean of New Rome University.

“You’re going to do incredible things, Annabeth,” he told me with a smile. Though I’m sure he was speaking normally, his voice boomed in my ears. “Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back from reaching your fullest potential.”

I felt sick to my stomach.

Suddenly, I was in the gardens of Olympus with my Mom, the goddess Athena.

We were standing on a grassy path, and an assortment of pinks, reds, yellows, and greens, so much green, surrounded us. I could hear birds chirping and I could smell the morning’s fresh dew. The garden was packed with life and energy, and I was so overwhelmed that I felt as small as the ants scurrying in an anthill next to my feet. My Mom reached up her hand out to a young tree in front of her, and began playing with a white and pink flower hanging from one of its branches.

“You see this flower?” she asked. “It blossomed just this morning. Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t speak, I certainly couldn’t respond to her question. I was engulfed with sights, smells, and with the mere fact that my Mom of all people was talking to me. I had only had a few encounters with her in my lifetime. Few of them had ended positively.

“It’s alright, Annabeth. No need to answer me. Just make sure you are listening to me,” she instructed.

I managed to nod my head.

“This fresh flower may seem like it has finished its life cycle but it actually is in the most pivotal moment in its development,” she explained. “From here the flower may grow into a delicious apple, providing life and nourishment to all that enjoy it. Its seeds will build more trees, which will build more trees, which will build more trees, and it will bring great joy to the world. Or this flower will die. At first, it will change colors, allowing pink to stretch across its petals, and you will be convinced that it will blossom and that a fruit will grow. But you would be wrong. It will fall to the ground and its now-beautiful petals slowly wither, eventually crumbling into ashes. The pink will turn to brown, and all beauty it once held will be forgotten.”

Her eyes turned to me, and her stare turned my insides to stone.

“Annabeth, you are the flower. What’s next for you? Will you fall, or will you grow? You must choose.”

As quickly as she had appeared, she vanished again and I was back on the stage. To my back a thousand eyes stared me down and to my front someone was shaking my hand firmly up and down, but it felt like my whole body was shaking up and down. I grabbed my diploma from the dean and scurried off the stage, hiding behind the rough, dark blue, cotton curtains surrounding the stage. I felt a fire burning through my lungs, and I grasped my neck, trying to breathe in air that suddenly wasn’t around me. Tears streamed out of my eyes as I choked for air, for a lifeline, for anything to save me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave some comments! Thank you bunches!


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